Willy Mutunga to decide Gladys Shollei’s fate

Chief Justice Willy Mutunga is on Monday expected to make a decision on the fate of chief registrar Gladys Shollei.

Dr Mutunga at the weekend deferred announcing the decision reached by the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) members, who met on Saturday in Mombasa and voted to send her on forced leave to pave the way for investigations into alleged financial and procurement improprieties.

The Chief Justice has instead convened a full JSC meeting on Monday to receive a full briefing on the resolution after which he is expected to make it public.

Questions have been raised within the commission over management of the Judiciary during Ms Shollei’s tenure, touching on procurement, major construction projects, and apparent prickly relations with some judges.

As the JSC sat in Mombasa, Ms Shollei released a statement blaming unnamed “individuals and corporations who have benefited from such vices” who “have resorted to attempts to undermine the Judiciary’s progressive reforms.”

She also denied that she was the subject of discussion by the JSC. 

“The agenda of the retreat is to deliberate on the workings of the Commission,” she said.

Ms Shollei said all procurement and expenditure undergo rigorous approval checks and do not reside in one office.

Efforts to get Ms Shollei to comment on the allegations on Sunday were futile as her phone remained switched off. It was also not clear whether the Chief Registrar, who has been abroad on official duty since August 5, had returned to the country.

Meanwhile, the government is expected to pay Judges their delayed July salaries this week.

Judiciary spokesman Naim Bilal told the Nation on Sunday the government had assured them the funds would be sent any time this week.